Neopets is going to sell items and stuff for money
Fri Nov 10, 2006 12:58 am
This is just disgusting. I knew it was going to happen eventually.
http://www.mediaweek.com/mw/news/recent ... 1003380319
http://www.mediaweek.com/mw/news/recent ... 1003380319
MTVN to Sell Neopets Accessories
Mike Shields
NOVEMBER 09, 2006 -
MTV Networks plans to introduce commerce into Neopets, its online virtual pet universe. Sometime during the first half of 2007, the fantasy game's mostly tween-to-teenaged players will be able purchase a variety of virtual items and accessories for their pets.
To power the new virtual commerce, MTV has partnered with Korean game publisher Nexon, which has employed similar technology in several games in Asia. While the extent of what Neopets' fans will actually be able to purchase has yet to be fleshed out, MTVN executives said that most items will run users from $1 to $5. Users may also be able to pay to advance to different levels of Neopia, the Neopets world.
As part of the new alliance, MTV will widely promote the launch of several top Nexon titles in the U.S., including the popular Kart Rider, on a variety of its networks and Web properties, such as MTV, Comedy Central, Nickelodeon, The-N, Shockwave.com and Neopets itself. In return, Nexon will promote the new Neopets services across its own properties in Asia.
Fri Nov 10, 2006 1:16 am
Bound to happen eventually: Yes. Disgusting: No.
If it was gonna happen eventually, I'm surprised why people have such melodramatic responses. I personally learnt from my mistake when I was horrified when the Revolution got a name change, but at the end of the day, life goes on, stuff happens. Many people were outraged when Lutari island was announced, but I now don't really even notice it's there.
Basically, what I'm trying to say is that changes will be made that might seem like they'll ruin the neopets experience, but most probably won't.
If it was gonna happen eventually, I'm surprised why people have such melodramatic responses. I personally learnt from my mistake when I was horrified when the Revolution got a name change, but at the end of the day, life goes on, stuff happens. Many people were outraged when Lutari island was announced, but I now don't really even notice it's there.
Basically, what I'm trying to say is that changes will be made that might seem like they'll ruin the neopets experience, but most probably won't.
Fri Nov 10, 2006 1:18 am
wowzer you're kidding. jeez. Hey Marcus... remember when we were talking about virtual real estate? 
Personally, I think this is akin to what happens in Diablo II and WoW. Hopefully it creates a real virtual economy - it'd providing an interesting slant on Neopets.
Personally, I think this is akin to what happens in Diablo II and WoW. Hopefully it creates a real virtual economy - it'd providing an interesting slant on Neopets.
Last edited by Shoyru_Lover on Fri Nov 10, 2006 1:28 am, edited 1 time in total.
Fri Nov 10, 2006 1:21 am
Anoohilator wrote:Bound to happen eventually: Yes. Disgusting: No.
If it was gonna happen eventually, I'm surprised why people have such melodramatic responses. I personally learnt from my mistake when I was horrified when the Revolution got a name change, but at the end of the day, life goes on, stuff happens. Many people were outraged when Lutari island was announced, but I now don't really even notice it's there.
Basically, what I'm trying to say is that changes will be made that might seem like they'll ruin the neopets experience, but most probably won't.
Much like the new chairman or whatever that lady is. We ranted but really, no one cares anymore. *Shrug* I'm sure we'll all get over it eventually...though I'll knock on wood for that. *Knocks on wood*
Fri Nov 10, 2006 1:21 am
What I don't like is that some rich kid can get whatever they want and places they can only go. It's not like lutari island, it's the only fact that you can get ahead by spending all your money.
The only good thing is that there may be some deflation due to the possible increase in paintbrushes and stuff.
The only good thing is that there may be some deflation due to the possible increase in paintbrushes and stuff.
Fri Nov 10, 2006 1:25 am
Let the little rich kid get a load of items - people are always unfairly getting items, but over 99% of the time it doesn't directly affect a neo experience. Let's not forget we're dealing with professionals and businessmen who only care about what's best for the company, so as long as they've pulled this off, they're pretty darn sure that this won't make the site too unpopular.
Fri Nov 10, 2006 1:40 am
Gaia Online does a similar thing, as do Subeta Pets and other pet sites that I know of - and they're a lot less popular and organized, let alone being a huge company. It's about time, actually...
I just hope they take paypal. ^^'
Two words - Second Life. XD They even inflated the prices of private islands just recently, and it's horrible. It's almost an extra 100$ US a month when you convert it from the game's money. @.@ Ugh....
I just hope they take paypal. ^^'
wowzer you're kidding. jeez. Hey Marcus... remember when we were talking about virtual real estate?
Two words - Second Life. XD They even inflated the prices of private islands just recently, and it's horrible. It's almost an extra 100$ US a month when you convert it from the game's money. @.@ Ugh....
Fri Nov 10, 2006 2:54 am
It does change the nature of the game for me, but in the end, it's just a game after all.
I guess even if I never played neopets again, I could still imagine in my head that I have a fire coloured tiger, or a tan and white hawaiian elephant, and that I have a deposit box ful of medicine (that never goes bad). It helps to keep it into perspective that it's all make believe.
I guess even if I never played neopets again, I could still imagine in my head that I have a fire coloured tiger, or a tan and white hawaiian elephant, and that I have a deposit box ful of medicine (that never goes bad). It helps to keep it into perspective that it's all make believe.
Fri Nov 10, 2006 3:09 am
I don't really care. If someone has the money to spend and they want to buy their way to the top, go ahead and let them.
How much does neopet status mean to you?
I know some people work very hard on their account. They have painted pets, they have the best battledome items, and they have a lot of neofriends. When they post, everyone knows them and they either have a lot of positive or negative attention, but everyone seems to know who they are and have something to say about the person. It can not be denied that they are elite or have status on neopets.
But in the future it will be harder to tell who worked for their account and who just bought their way there.
What I want to know is how much this matters to you.
I guess it depends on how seriously you take the game.
What I do care about is if they put too much focus on new items to the point where all "free items" (that is items anyone can buy for neopoints) look like crud and the items you buy look better.
I know they will surely spend more time drawing elaborate worlds for us to pay to get access to, and great pet colors or new pets and pet pets for us to buy. But I hope the artwork on the "free" stuff continues to improve as well.
I hope they don't focus too much on premium and paying people that they seldom release the free items. If they just seldom release free items and they look like crud, that will either force people to buy stuff or force them to quit. Remaining on the site without many "free" updates would get very boring.
I know people would say "But we pay for it, so we deserve better" and I guess that is true. But still, I don't think neopets should become a pay to play site, but it seems like they are going to at least try this.
I think I might pay for something in the future. But it will have to be very cool. I mean very very very cool. And I will have to really want it badly.
How much does neopet status mean to you?
I know some people work very hard on their account. They have painted pets, they have the best battledome items, and they have a lot of neofriends. When they post, everyone knows them and they either have a lot of positive or negative attention, but everyone seems to know who they are and have something to say about the person. It can not be denied that they are elite or have status on neopets.
But in the future it will be harder to tell who worked for their account and who just bought their way there.
What I want to know is how much this matters to you.
I guess it depends on how seriously you take the game.
What I do care about is if they put too much focus on new items to the point where all "free items" (that is items anyone can buy for neopoints) look like crud and the items you buy look better.
I know they will surely spend more time drawing elaborate worlds for us to pay to get access to, and great pet colors or new pets and pet pets for us to buy. But I hope the artwork on the "free" stuff continues to improve as well.
I hope they don't focus too much on premium and paying people that they seldom release the free items. If they just seldom release free items and they look like crud, that will either force people to buy stuff or force them to quit. Remaining on the site without many "free" updates would get very boring.
I know people would say "But we pay for it, so we deserve better" and I guess that is true. But still, I don't think neopets should become a pay to play site, but it seems like they are going to at least try this.
I think I might pay for something in the future. But it will have to be very cool. I mean very very very cool. And I will have to really want it badly.
Fri Nov 10, 2006 3:17 am
It likely won't be where ALL paid for items are better - look at other sites with pay-for items. They're just UNIQUE to the pay thing. Like maybe a special petpet, or book or something.
It's not like they're going to start selling Draik Eggs and Krawks and HK4 helmets... That'd take all the fun out of the game. (And upset a lot of players who rightfully EARNED those things!)
They'll likely be 'special' items that're unique to the pay feature, or 'rare' enough to be desirable - but not mega-rare expensive stuff. Or it'll be like Gaia, and limited time only stuff, so it won't change anything at all. For every 2.50 you donate to Gaia, you get one item for it. And there are two items released a month. At first, they're cheap enough that nearly everyone can buy one from a person who bought them with real money, but after time they go up in value because they're 'retired'.
That'd make the most sense. Because then the items would all be 'optional', and not something that normal players would already have worked very hard for and saved up for fairly. They'd all be new items instead of 'Ghost Paint Brush' or 'Poogle Morphing Potion' or 'Candychan'
So yeah, people will probably be able to make NP from selling those items, but I believe it won't unbalance the game enough for anyone to notice too much. They'd still have to sell a few of those items to get the other items they desire...
At least, that'd be the smart way to do things and keep (almost) everyone happy.
It's not like they're going to start selling Draik Eggs and Krawks and HK4 helmets... That'd take all the fun out of the game. (And upset a lot of players who rightfully EARNED those things!)
They'll likely be 'special' items that're unique to the pay feature, or 'rare' enough to be desirable - but not mega-rare expensive stuff. Or it'll be like Gaia, and limited time only stuff, so it won't change anything at all. For every 2.50 you donate to Gaia, you get one item for it. And there are two items released a month. At first, they're cheap enough that nearly everyone can buy one from a person who bought them with real money, but after time they go up in value because they're 'retired'.
That'd make the most sense. Because then the items would all be 'optional', and not something that normal players would already have worked very hard for and saved up for fairly. They'd all be new items instead of 'Ghost Paint Brush' or 'Poogle Morphing Potion' or 'Candychan'
So yeah, people will probably be able to make NP from selling those items, but I believe it won't unbalance the game enough for anyone to notice too much. They'd still have to sell a few of those items to get the other items they desire...
At least, that'd be the smart way to do things and keep (almost) everyone happy.
Fri Nov 10, 2006 3:31 am
Yeah, that is kind of what I was trying to say. It would upset a lot of players if they worked very hard for millions of np and then some New Member with ten dollars can just buy the same thing.
So I do hope the staff considers just making new and unique items for sale. I like the idea of retiring them too. That would make them very unique and maybe people could resale them for neopoints.
I don't think they should sale krawks or draik eggs on there. I think they might add a new pet to it. I heard they are working on a raccoon type pet and a slorg type pet. I don't know if that is true, but I read about it on wikipedia I think. Anyway, maybe one of those could go up for sale.
So I do hope the staff considers just making new and unique items for sale. I like the idea of retiring them too. That would make them very unique and maybe people could resale them for neopoints.
I don't think they should sale krawks or draik eggs on there. I think they might add a new pet to it. I heard they are working on a raccoon type pet and a slorg type pet. I don't know if that is true, but I read about it on wikipedia I think. Anyway, maybe one of those could go up for sale.
Fri Nov 10, 2006 4:04 am
Edging ever closer to the day we have to pay to play, it seems...what a slippery slope. I was around when people were sure you'd never see ads on Neopets, and there was drama about pop-ups on the site. 
Whatever. I'm glad I'm not as into this game as I used to be, or I'd be really bummed. As it is, I think this sort of new elitism will make me even more alienated from the site (as if the ridiculous inflation hasn't already), but I'll probably stick around.
At this point, Neopets.com is a neat little trap of commercialism set to train kids to be the perfect consumer - willing to spend absurd amounts of time and now, apparently, real-world money, all in the everlasting, all-consuming quest to get 'rare' valuables. Good grief.
*head-desk*
But consider this one point: what does Neopets teach the thousands of young children who play daily? I'm not saying Neopets is damaging to children or that it should not be allowed to children. But it is quite clear that while once Neopets could be considered an educational sort of site, able to teach kids about the economy in a friendly atmosphere - saving up, investing, profiting in a mini-capitalist system - now its primary message is to goad you on to accumulate more and more difficult-to-reach material goods. Now the game insists on quite a huge commitment of time/effort (and with this new development, MONEY), to earn enough to buy a coveted color, item, or trophy.
Well, there's my rant. For the most part, these changes aren't going to be my problem so I guess I don't care. I've lost all faith in Neopets, but that doesn't mean the game's ruined for me...just that I view it a lot more cynically.
Whatever. I'm glad I'm not as into this game as I used to be, or I'd be really bummed. As it is, I think this sort of new elitism will make me even more alienated from the site (as if the ridiculous inflation hasn't already), but I'll probably stick around.
At this point, Neopets.com is a neat little trap of commercialism set to train kids to be the perfect consumer - willing to spend absurd amounts of time and now, apparently, real-world money, all in the everlasting, all-consuming quest to get 'rare' valuables. Good grief.
*head-desk*
But consider this one point: what does Neopets teach the thousands of young children who play daily? I'm not saying Neopets is damaging to children or that it should not be allowed to children. But it is quite clear that while once Neopets could be considered an educational sort of site, able to teach kids about the economy in a friendly atmosphere - saving up, investing, profiting in a mini-capitalist system - now its primary message is to goad you on to accumulate more and more difficult-to-reach material goods. Now the game insists on quite a huge commitment of time/effort (and with this new development, MONEY), to earn enough to buy a coveted color, item, or trophy.
Well, there's my rant. For the most part, these changes aren't going to be my problem so I guess I don't care. I've lost all faith in Neopets, but that doesn't mean the game's ruined for me...just that I view it a lot more cynically.
Fri Nov 10, 2006 4:04 am
Micropayment is really the future of how things are going to work in MMORPGS - there are just two versions of it. It can affect how you look, or it can affect how you play. As long as it doesn't affect gameplay, it would be alright, but if it becomes like Gunbound or such with actual in-game "+5 boots of bilging" effects, it could be terrible. Parts of the game may become constructed or scaled to account for the bonuses, making the same parts un-fun for free players.
I'm looking at how Nexon handled their other games for past examples based off Wikipedia. I hope they treat Neopets the way they treated their casual game instead of an MMORPG, but I really doubt it. (The SSW doesn't count so much I hope, as restocking off other players probably isn't "meant" to be part of the game.)
Under the name Nexon America:
Maplestory: Equipment that doubles your XP or money loot. Equipment that negates XP lost from dying. Pets that pick up your loot for you.
Audition Online: clothing and accessories to dress up your character. Not an MMORPG (a M.O.Casual.G), so no apparent gameplay effects.
Mabinogi (planned translation to English): critical part of game - can only "rebirth" a limited number of times before getting more "character cards". Rebirthing is necessary to progress faster (?).
Under the name KRU Interactive:
Nexus: The Kingdom of the Winds: pay to play (P2P).
Shattered Galaxy: restricted abilities
Dark Ages: P2P?
(It's suprisingly hard to find price info on these games... >.<)
Aren't the maintenance prices in Second Life in real money? I mean, it's renting a real server after all.... It's really less a game than a media platform.
EDIT: 10:17 PM
Micropayment for items is probably the end of the slippery slope. P2P games like "Yohoho! Puzzle Pirates" sloped from P2P into micropayment - and they had lots of complaints about the more-immature Neopets players sticking around too long because it was free (heh). Free games can't sustain themselves on advertisement these days, so they slope towards micropayment too.
About the second part: It's an MMORPG. MMORPGs are all about seeing those numbers rise (or descriptions if it's a non-number MMORPG like Puzzle Pirates). And I doubt they'll make anything expensive enough that you'd need to save up for it.
I'm looking at how Nexon handled their other games for past examples based off Wikipedia. I hope they treat Neopets the way they treated their casual game instead of an MMORPG, but I really doubt it. (The SSW doesn't count so much I hope, as restocking off other players probably isn't "meant" to be part of the game.)
Under the name Nexon America:
Maplestory: Equipment that doubles your XP or money loot. Equipment that negates XP lost from dying. Pets that pick up your loot for you.
Audition Online: clothing and accessories to dress up your character. Not an MMORPG (a M.O.Casual.G), so no apparent gameplay effects.
Mabinogi (planned translation to English): critical part of game - can only "rebirth" a limited number of times before getting more "character cards". Rebirthing is necessary to progress faster (?).
Under the name KRU Interactive:
Nexus: The Kingdom of the Winds: pay to play (P2P).
Shattered Galaxy: restricted abilities
Dark Ages: P2P?
(It's suprisingly hard to find price info on these games... >.<)
Moonlight Flower wrote:Two words - Second Life. XD They even inflated the prices of private islands just recently, and it's horrible. It's almost an extra 100$ US a month when you convert it from the game's money. @.@ Ugh....
Aren't the maintenance prices in Second Life in real money? I mean, it's renting a real server after all.... It's really less a game than a media platform.
EDIT: 10:17 PM
Zombie wrote:Edging ever closer to the day we have to pay to play, it seems...what a slippery slope. I was around when people were sure you'd never see ads on Neopets, and there was drama about pop-ups on the site.
...
At this point, Neopets.com is a neat little trap of commercialism set to train kids to be the perfect consumer
...
Micropayment for items is probably the end of the slippery slope. P2P games like "Yohoho! Puzzle Pirates" sloped from P2P into micropayment - and they had lots of complaints about the more-immature Neopets players sticking around too long because it was free (heh). Free games can't sustain themselves on advertisement these days, so they slope towards micropayment too.
About the second part: It's an MMORPG. MMORPGs are all about seeing those numbers rise (or descriptions if it's a non-number MMORPG like Puzzle Pirates). And I doubt they'll make anything expensive enough that you'd need to save up for it.
Fri Nov 10, 2006 4:52 am
Aren't the maintenance prices in Second Life in real money? I mean, it's renting a real server after all.... It's really less a game than a media platform.
True, it's not just a game, in the vein that people can even make a living off of it. To me, it's just a game, but to other's it's something else. And yeah, the private islands can come down to being entire servers, which is quite pricey.
I don't really like the example set by Gunbound, but it might head in that direction.. which'd suck. In any case, we'll have to wait a few months for this to even happen, then wait a few months to see how it actually affects anything..
Fri Nov 10, 2006 5:04 am
Why wouldn't free games be able to support themselves? Technology costs such as servers and bandwidth are falling ... maybe because online advertisers aren't paying as much anymore?